Lugnuts fans get their money's worth during team's Eat-A-Palooza promotion

For the Citizen Patriot | Larry HookDavid Molner, 23, of Lansing enjoys some nachos during the Lansing Lugnuts' Eat-A-Palooza event April 28 at Cooley Law School Stadium.

LANSING — Lansing Lugnuts fans were determined to get their money’s worth during the third Eat-A-Palooza at Cooley Law School Stadium on Saturday.

Despite temperatures in the 30s and the threat of rain and/or snow, a crowd of 5,238 attended the game to take advantage of one of the team’s most unusual and popular promotions.

For $17, fans received a ticket to the game and unlimited food and soft drinks from any of the stadium concession stands. The menu included gourmet hot dogs, Philly steak sandwiches, brats, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, potato chips, french fries, ice cream, soda, bottled water and more.

Lugnuts General Manager Pat Day said the turnout was phenomenal considering the chilly weather.

“It was absolutely tremendous,” Day said. “The thing is growing more and more every time we do it.”

Day said the team does manage to make a small profit during the Eat-A-Palooza, despite the huge amount of food the Lugnuts staff serves.

“It’s really not about making money; it’s about doing a nice thing early in the season for the fans,” Day said. “The fans are absolutely amazing and awesome. It was a great game and a wonderful night.”

In the game, the Lugnuts held a 2-0 lead over the visiting Clinton LumberKings after seven innings. But Clinton scored six runs in the eighth inning and escaped with a 6-2 win. It was a rare breakdown for the Lugnuts, whose record fell to a Midwest League-best 17-6 with the loss.

The hungry fans, many of whom said they didn’t eat all day in preparation for the Eat-A-Palooza, didn’t seem to mind the outcome of the game. The lines at the concession stands were long throughout most of the evening, with some still remaining in the ninth inning.

Day said fans took the opportunity to sample a wide variety of foods at Cooley Stadium.

“It looked like the big hitters from my eyes were the Franx gourmet hot-dog stand, the nacho stand and, surprisingly, a lot of people were getting ice cream,” Day said.

Marlene Ryan, a student and employee at Lansing Community College, attended the game with a group of more than 100 fans from the college’s Student Life Department. She said she was enjoying the experience despite the cold temperatures.

“I think it’s awesome,” Ryan said. “I brought my daughter, my friends and some other friends I rounded up from LCC. I had some chili cheese fries, a soda and a pretzel.”

Fellow LCC student James Boyd was busy chowing down on a “Firecracker,” a spicy hot dog from the Franx hot-dog stand.

“It’s good,” Boyd said. “It’s keeping me warm.”

Day said the Eat-A-Palooza has become a fabulous tradition at the ballpark; so much so that the team has scheduled two of them this season. The next Eat-A-Palooza is 7:05 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 7.

LUGNOTES:• After suffering the loss on Eat-A-Palooza night, the Lugnuts bounced back with a 4-0 win over Clinton on Sunday at Cooley Stadium to improve their record to 18-6. The shutout was the Lugnuts’ sixth of the season. Top prospects Justin Nicolino and Aaron Sanchez each tossed three shutout innings to pace the win. Kevin Patterson led the offense with a home run, a single and two RBIs.• The Lugnuts have yet to lose back-to-back games this season. General Manager Day said: “I’ve been doing this for 13 years and this is the best start I’ve ever seen. They’re playing really good. I’m so happy for the whole (Toronto Blue) Jays’ system. I know how hard they all work and it’s got to feel good to them also.”• Day had high praise for first-year Lugnuts General Manager John Tamargo Jr. “He’s a great guy and it doesn’t surprise me we’re off to such a good start because of the energy that he brings every day,” Day said.